


Laughing as you pass through

by Lohrendrell



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, An afternoon listening to Pink Floyd, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Sex, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-22 03:32:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2492897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lohrendrell/pseuds/Lohrendrell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke thinks Naruto is too young to be having a midlife crisis. Naruto thinks Sasuke is no help at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Laughing as you pass through

**Author's Note:**

> This was born during an afternoon listening to Pink Floyd, one of my favourite bands ever. I guess this can be considered some kind of tribute to them? Twenty-year-old gay dudes DTR-ing as a tribute to depressed old men. Heh.
> 
> I really like the idea of Sasuke bonding with his dad-in-law through music. I feel like Minato would be a fan of the classics.

From his desk, Sasuke watches as Naruto throws himself on his bed, stretching and yawning loudly. “I’m feeling so lazy right now,” he announces, as if necessary, just as the dramatic beginning of _Sysyphus_ resonates through Sasuke’s stereo.

“Get out of my bed,” Sasuke says. Naruto scowls at him.

“Don’t be an ass.”

Because he’s feeling just as lazy, Sasuke only retaliates with a light kick on Naruto’s foot, which is promptly returned, of course, and they start a childish (and rather unenthusiastic) game of kicking and shoving until Sasuke manages a space in the bed where he can sit, his back against the wall and legs hanging out of the mattress. Naruto, opportunistic as always, rests his own legs on Sasuke’s lap, and smiles when Sasuke caresses his shin.

They stay quiet for a while, Sasuke enjoying an entire minute of his music before Naruto starts complaining about it yet again: how weird, freak, unconventional it is; how can he even listen to that sort of thing?

“It’s called art,” is Sasuke’s reply to every single one of those complaints. This time, he adds, “Not something people with questionable intelligence would understand,” to which Naruto replies that the only questionable thing in the room is Sasuke’s musical taste. Sasuke pinches where he was previously caressing.

“Ouch! Asshole,” Naruto whines, although he doesn’t even try to hide that he’s laughing.

Deciding to ignore his idiot of a friend for the time being, Sasuke goes back to his unconventional — and original, and ahead of its time, and massive influence of an entire generation — form of art (which he was introduced to by Naruto’s father, by the way).

“I’m thinking about switching majors,” Naruto says out of a sudden. It doesn’t take Sasuke by surprise, though. He’d been eyeing the other man since the part three of _The Narrow Way_ started and his expression slowly morphed to content to pensive.

“To what?”

“Dunno yet. Music, maybe?”

Sasuke looks Naruto straight on the eye as he slowly says, “You’re thinking of switching majors from medicine to… music.”

“Yeah, I mean. Maybe. It’s just a thought. You think it’s a good idea?” Naruto laughs, lamely enough to show he already knows his friend’s answer.

“I thought you wanted to become a pediatrician? You know, that dream you’ve been gushing about to the four winds since you were twelve.”

Naruto shrugs. “I’m not really sure. It was just a thought.”

“Well, you’re too late to question your university choices now. You should’ve thought about that in high school. Like I told you to do.”

“Exactly.”

“Besides, you don’t even know how to ring a bell properly.”

“Hey!” Naruto scowls at him, but instead of yelling and cursing, he turns his face so he can stare at somewhere in the mattress. And that’s when Sasuke realizes he should probably be worried, or, at the very least, more sensitive. “I just… I don’t know, just.” He sighs. “Forget it.”

Sasuke has known Naruto his whole life, and has considered him his closest friend for the most part of it. He likes to think he is the one who knows Naruto the most, with the only exception, maybe, of his parents. Over the years, he was exposed to every angle of Naruto’s personality, and so has learned to comprehend him, to see through his masks and notice every detail, every nuance of all the aspects that make him Naruto. So he’s never too surprised anymore by his mood swings, which aren’t as rare as Naruto would like them to be (and everyone else to believe). But even with all that knowledge and experience, sometimes it’s hard for Sasuke to understand where they come from.

“Naruto,” he calls, but he doesn’t answer nor look up. There are very few things that can piss Naruto off to the point of silence. Sasuke knows for a fact he is one of the few who hold that privilege, although he doesn’t think this, right now, is out of anger.

On the stereo, everything’s gone silent for _The Grand Vizier’s Garden Party_ , but Sasuke knows all the noise will start again, soon.

Slowly, he shifts in the bed so he can lean on his side, half lying beside Naruto. “Hey,” he calls, gently grabbing Naruto’s chin so as to lift his head. “Tell me,” he says, so softly it sounds awkward in his ears. Truth be told, he was never really good at comforting people. All this effort is solely because, like a lot of times, Naruto is exception to the rule.

“It’s just…” Naruto starts in a low tone, blue eyes looking up at Sasuke with so much trust it both appease and hurt. ‘ _Something in the sky, sky, is waiting for me_ ,’ is sung on the other side of the bedroom. “Haven’t you ever thought, like, that your life is over?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It’s just… ever since that old man told us we’d have our lives set once we entered KU, I. I don’t know, we studied so hard for it and now? I guess I’m feeling like there’s nothing else for me to do anymore. Other than follow the plan, I mean. And that sucks.”

“Naruto, you’re only twenty. You’re too young to be having a midlife crisis.”

“I _am_ too young to be having a midlife crisis,” Naruto agrees, and then glares at Sasuke. “And you aren’t helping.”

Sasuke glares back, though he actually wants to laugh. “Well, what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know! Usually when a friend is feeling bad, normal people try to help. Like, like, by giving them advice, or maybe a cake, or maybe even a blowjob!”

Even though Sasuke is sure this is not the proper thing to do, and that he’d be angry if the roles were reversed, he can’t help smirking. “You give head to your friends when you’re feeling bad? No wonder you’re so popular around campus.”

Naruto glares at him, but it doesn’t last more than a couple of seconds. “Asshole,” he snarls, but laughs the next second. “Stop trying to find out what’s not even there. You know damn well you’re the only one I ever gave head to.” Then, he turns on his side, so his back is pressed on Sasuke’s chest. “Now cuddle me, you fucking bastard!”

He obeys, wrapping his left arm around Naruto, who abandons the pillow for Sasuke’s right arm. They fall in a comfortable silence, filled only by the voices of old men with their depressing lyrics.

“Hey, you,” Sasuke whispers after a long time, unsure if Naruto is sleeping. “You know your life isn’t over.”

Naruto nods slowly. “I know. It’s just, sometimes, I feel this… thing. Like it will be soon. I’m pretty sure I heard a woman whispering ‘you’re dying’ in one of your freaky songs.”

“It’s called art.” Sasuke tightens the grip on Naruto’s body, pulling him as close as he can. “Stop talking nonsense,” he whispers against Naruto’s nape. It hurts to think someone who’s always been the perfect description of _life_ might someday… not anymore. “You can always form a band with Kiba, or someone else, and still be a pediatrician.”

Naruto chuckles softly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Of course. I’m always right.”

“Sure, of course,” Naruto says, patting the arm around his waist. “This band is still freaky, though. There are more animal and machine sounds than actual song.”

He smiles against Naruto’s nape. “For someone who was considering switching to Music just a moment ago, you’re quite the ignorant.”

Naruto snorts. “And you have quite the bad taste.”

“I happen to know and appreciate art,” Sasuke retorts, but laughs despite of himself. “They have good songs, though.”

“Well, yeah, can’t disagree. That one about the diamond, damn.”

“I knew you’d like that one.”

“Yeah, and that other, too. The one that made me emotional.”

“It’s one of your father’s favourites.” It’s one of Sasuke’s as well. It always made him think of his relationship with Naruto. Of how the world seems small and unimportant when they are alone together. Of how they always seemed to clash so well, but at the same time, so bad. Some part of Sasuke always felt like they were made for each other — to kill each other, perhaps; but for each other all the same — although he never voiced it.

“Sasuke?”

“Hm?”

“We still haven’t discussed it, y’know.”

“What?” he asks, feigning ignorance, though he knows what Naruto is talking about.

“Our relationship.”

If there is something Sasuke is no good at, it’s this kind of talk. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t act defensive. I’m asking you what we consider us to be. Boyfriends? Best friends with benefits? Are we even exclusive?”

The last question stings a bit, so Sasuke replies with more bitterness than he intended: “I think you’re too late to have a relationship crisis as well, Naruto.”

“I know!” Naruto turns his head just to glower at him. “And you’re still not being helpful. At all.”

“I don’t understand why all this is bothering you only now.”

“It’s not bothering me, it’s just.” Naruto sighs, then turns all around so he can hug Sasuke and hide his face on his chest. “I wanna call you my boyfriend already, dammit!”

“You’re so needy today,” Sasuke says, fluffing Naruto’s hair and not trying at all to contain a laughter.

“Am not.” Naruto lifts his head just to stick his tongue at him, then leans back into Sasuke’s touch. Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Well,” he starts to say, feeling like being indulgent for a change. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re my best friend, as well as the best lay I ever had.”

Naruto lifts his head again, showing him a cockish grin. “Yeah? And what else?”

Sasuke smiles as well. “I’d also say, therefore, that you are my boyfriend.”

“What else?”

“Hm…” Sasuke turns Naruto’s golden locks on his fingers. “You’re also my partner, my lover, the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with. My soulmate. My everything.”

Naruto is fully beaming at him now. “Say it all again. In the same order.”

Sasuke does, whispering it all, his gaze never leaving Naruto’s.

“Again.”

Sasuke does.

“Now backwards.”

Sasuke punches Naruto’s shoulder.

“Ouch! You bastard!” Naruto screams, though he’s laughing. His smile is a huge as his eyes when he looks at Sasuke, who doesn’t fight when he is pulled into a deep kiss.

There’s no way Sasuke can know what lies ahead either of them, if it’s going to be hard, easy, painful, or simply heartbreaking. The only thing he knows for sure, has known all his life, even when he wasn’t still aware of it, is that Naruto and him will always be by each other’s side. He meant everything he said.


End file.
